NorteñoBlog

Since NorteñoBlog last checked out Billboard‘s charts four weeks ago, the Hot Latin chart remains depressingly stagnant, with only six new songs. Four of the songs in the Top 10 have been there over half a year. Worse, the  Mexican songs in the Top 25 all sound like stagnant pools of overripe romance, unless you get real zen about it; then they become meditative pools whose stillness reflects back to us our most private yearnings.

That includes the song at #20, “Culpable Tu,” by the young guitar/bass/tuba quintet Alta Consigna. Released back in July, it does not appear on their new album No Te Pide Mucho (Rancho Humilde), which shares a pacing strategy with Neil Young’s 1979 classic Rust Never Sleeps: lull listeners to sleep during the first half, then wake ’em up by rocking out more ferociously than any of your peers. This comparison is not exact; the first half of Rust Never Sleeps is better than the first half of No Te Pide Mucho, but in Alta Consigna’s defense, Neil Young famously did not record a world-historical bachata-with-tuba cover of “Propuesta Indecente.” Few albums of 1979 did. This is something the critical histories of the period won’t tell you.

NorteñoBlog has dug Alta Consigna before. Back in 2015 they got a “ft.” credit on Grupo El Reto‘s “La Parranda Va Empezar,” as ferocious a cavalcade of strumming and triple tonguing as you could hope for. At the band’s best — i.e., a new re-recording of its 2015 tune “Sinaloense Es El Joven” — it capitalizes on having two bass instruments by making them do completely opposite, equally rad things. Dani Vida fires a wild variety of machine gun and other noises from his tuba, while bassist Esteban González achieves a truly menacing tone. “Culpable” might be the token romantic ballad that gets people’s attention, but the back half of Mucho is where the Picks to Click reside. The album is VALE LA PENA, at least if you play it on shuffle.

Also competing for clickdom this week:

– at #22 on the Regional Mexican airplay chart, Voz De Mando‘s previously discussed “Pa’ Que No Me Anden Contando,” a minor key swashbuckling waltz about grabbing life’s horns by the teeth and not letting YOLO and whatnot. Incidentally, the airplay chart is more happening than the big chart this time, with eight (I think) new songs since our last reckoning.

– at #31 airplay, Intocable‘s really pretty good “Arrepentido,” the second best song on their 2016 album Highway, which everyone else thinks is better than I do;

– right behind ’em at #32, the intriguing Norteño 4.5, doing the delightful “Volé, Soñé y La Ame.” Depending on your glass half empty/full proclivities, they’re either a mini banda or a norteño band with benefits: two trumpets, two trombones, tuba, tololoche, accordion/guitar/drums. Their album of the same title was one of 2016’s best.

– at #39 airplay, the heavily mascaraed and tattooed dudes in Siggno calling their style “Rockteño” and sounding like Intocable lite. To bolster their metal cred, they hired an attractive model, mostly seen from the neck down, to walk around in her underwear throughout the video.

– at #23 on the big chart, a hypnotic bit of trap called “Tú No Vive Así,” by the dream team of [deep breath] Mambo Kingz & DJ Luian presenta Arcangel x Bad Bunny, plus some unfortunate mujer screaming in the background.

These are the top 50 Hot Latin Songs and top 20 Regional Mexican Songs, courtesy Billboard, as published January 21.

1. “Chantaje” – Shakira ft. Maluma
2. “Shaky Shaky” – Daddy Yankee (36 weeks!)
3. “Safari” – J Balvin ft. Pharrell Williams, BIA & Sky
4. “Hasta El Amanecer” – Nicky Jam (52 weeks!)
5. “La Bicicleta” – Carlos Vives & Shakira (32 weeks!)
6. “Otra Vez” – Zion & Lennox ft. J Balvin
7. “Chillax” – Farruko ft. Ky-Mani Marley (28 weeks!)
8. “Vente Pa’ Ca” – Ricky Martin ft. Maluma
9. “Dile Que Tu Me Quieres” – Ozuna
10. “Tengo Que Colgar” – Banda MS (#2 RegMex)

11. “Vacaciones” – Wisin
12. “Sin Contrato” – Maluma ft. Fifth Harmony
13. “Reggaeton Lento (Bailemos)” – CNCO
14. “Te Quiero Pa’ Mi” – Don Omar & Zion & Lennox
15. “Afuera Esta Lloviendo” (#3 RegMex) – Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda
16. “Nunca Me Olvides” – Yandel (26 weeks!)
17. “Cuatro Babys” – Maluma ft. Bryant Myers x Noriel x Juhn
18. “Regresa Hermosa” – Gerardo Ortiz (#1 RegMex)
19. “Siempre Te Voy a Querer” – Calibre 50 (#21 RegMex)
20. “Culpable Tu” – Alta Consigna (#16 RegMex)

21. “Amor del Bueno” – Calibre 50 (#13 RegMex)
22. “Si No Te Quiere” – Ozuna ft. Arcangel & Farruko (26 weeks!)
23. “Tú No Vive Así” – Mambo Kingz & DJ Luian presenta Arcangel x Bad Bunny
24. “Quien Te Entiende” – Crecer German (#12 RegMex)
25. “Yo Sí Te Amé” – Arrolladora (#4 RegMex)
26. “Olvidame y Pega la Vuelta” – Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony
27. “Porque Me Enamoré” – Ulices Chaidez y Sus Plebes
28. “En La Intimidad” – Ozuna
29. “A Ver a Que Horas” – Banda Carnaval (#5 RegMex)
30. “En Estos Dias” – Regulo Caro (#12 RegMex)

31. “Fuego” – Juanes
32. “Adios Amor” – Christian Nodal
33. “Me Está Tirando el Rollo” – Banda Los Recoditos (#6 RegMex)
34. “Que Gano Olvidandote” – Reik
35. “Otra Cosa” – Daddy Yankee & Natti Natasha
36. “La Mala y La Buena” – Alex Sensation + Gente de Zona
37. “Manicomio” – Cosculluela
38. “Ando Bien” – Omar Ruiz ft. Gerardo Ortiz (#17 RegMex)
39. “Cómo Te Llamas” – La Trakalosa de Monterrey (#8 RegMex)
40. “Me Llamas” – Piso 21 ft. Maluma

41. “Me Estorbas” – Pesado (#9 RegMex)
42. “Sola” – Anuel AA ft. Daddy Yankee, Wisin, Farruko y Zion & Lennox
43. “Traicionera” – Sebastián Yatra
44. “Pa’ Que Me Invitan” – Jencarlos ft. Charly Black
45. “El México Americano” – El Komander (#7 RegMex)
46. “Ya No Me Duele Más” – Silvestre Dangand ft. Farruko
47. “A Poco” – Raúl Casillas (#11 RegMex)
48. “Te Regalo” – Ulices Chaidez y Sus Plebes
49. “El Paciente” – Alfredo Olivas (#20 RegMex)
50. “Hello” – Karol G & Ozuna

¡Adios!
“Si Ella Quisiera” – Justin Quiles
“Take It Off” – Lil Jon ft. Yandel & Becky G
“Acércate” – De La Ghetto
“De Pies a Cabeza” – Maná & Nicky Jam
“Bailar” – Deorro ft. Elvis Crespo
“Duele El Corazón” – Enrique Iglesias ft. Wisin

—————–

10. “Te Dirán” – La Adictiva Banda

14. “Como Si Fuera Real” – La Maquinaria Norteña
15. “No Lo Hice Bien” – Los Plebes Del Rancho de Ariel Camacho
18. “El Cuento Perfecto” – Banda Los Sebastianes
19. “Un Hombre Con Suerte” – Duelo

22. “Pa’ Que No Me Anden Contando” – Voz de Mando
23. “Tendrás Que Renunciar a Mi” – Los de la Noria
24. “Por Eso Volvi” – Nano Machado y Los Keridos
25. “Hoy Me Toca Perder” – La Energia Norteña
26. “Transparente” – Jonatan Sanchez
27. “El Hombre del Equipo” – Grupo Maximo Grado
28. “Amigos Para Que” – La Reunion Norteña
29. “Cóctel de Olvido” – Leandro Ríos
30. “Por Enamorarme” – Ariel Camacho y Los Plebes del Rancho

31. “Arrepentido” – Intocable
32. “Volé, Soñé y La Ame” – Norteño 4.5
33. “El Popeye” – Fuerza de Tijuana
34. “Ya Me Vi” – El Dasa
35. “Sin Esencia” – La Poderosa Banda San Juan
36. “Vale La Pena” – Banda El Recodo
37. “Eran Mentiras” – Marco Antonio Solis
38. “El Mayor de Mis Antojos” – La Original Banda El Limón
39. “Ya No Me Perteneces” – Siggno
40. “Ya Me Vi Contigo” – Grupo H-100

¡Adios!
“DEL Negociante” – Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho
“Andamos en el Ruedo” – Ulices Chaidez y Sus Plebes
“Mi Venganza” – Los Tucanes de Tijuana
“Que Caro Estoy Pagando” – Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho
“Me Gusta” – Revancha Norteña
“Mis Gustos, Mis Placeres” – Adriel Favela ft. Jonatan Sanchez
“Yo Si Me Enamoré” – La Séptima Banda